Brandywine Valley SPCA crew heading to Houston for Harvey

Adoptable, adorable animals are being moved from shelters in Hurricane Harvey-affected areas and arriving locally as rescues help out. The Brandywine Valley SPCA's Georgetown shelter welcomed 12 dogs Saturday, and more are on the way.
William Bretzger/The News Journal

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Dennis the Menace, a 5-month-old Chihuahua/Yorkshire terrier mix, is walked at the Georgetown facility of the Brandywine Valley SPCA Saturday. The dogs, airlifted to make way for an increase of hurricane displaced pets, are available for adoption.(Photo: William Bretzger, The News Journal)Buy Photo

After welcoming more than 80 dogs and cats displaced by Hurricane Harvey, Brandywine Valley SPCA employees are flying to Houston to continue assisting the area in relief efforts.

On Wednesday and Thursday, two teams of 10 BVSPCA employees arrived in Houston to help with sheltering services in the area, said Linda Torelli, Brandywine Valley SPCA's director of marketing and programs.

A temporary shelter will be setup at the NRG Arena in Houston to "handle 1,000-plus animals," Torelli added.

Additionally, a second team will be arriving in Houston to assist the SPCA of Brazoria County, with their animal shelter needs. The Lake Jackson, Texas, animal intake is about one hour south of Houston on the Gulf of Mexico and continues to experience flooding, Torelli said.

The BVSPCA is calling on community members to donate items to aid in their efforts.

The Fill-the-Truck-for-Brazoria effort will begin at the West Chester Campus on Thursday morning and will run through Saturday night. Donations can be dropped off at any BVSPCA location and will be picked up as the truck leaves West Chester for Texas on Sunday. Top needed items include:

Crates, especially larger sizes

Puppy pads

Paper towels

Disinfectable toys, such as Kongs

Paper gowns, booties & masks

“We’re honored to be asked to assist during this critical time in the Houston area for the animals and their families,” said Adam Lamb, BVSPCA CEO. “We’re looking forward to working alongside so many local and national organizations doing heroic work for the animals.”

The deployment is the latest action the BVSPCA has taken to help displaced animals.

The animals are available for adoption at the BVSPCA West Chester and Georgetown Campuses.

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Skeeter, an 8-month-old German shepherd mix, looks from his pen after arriving at the Georgetown facility of the Brandywine Valley SPCA on Saturday. The dogs, airlifted to make way for an increase of hurricane-displaced pets, are available for adoption.(Photo: William Bretzger, The News Journal)

Animals available for adoption were in shelters prior to the hurricane that has been relocated to make room for rescued pets to stay local with the hope they will be reclaimed by their families.

The BVSPCA asks for the community’s help in supporting these relief efforts by donating at bvspca.org/donate or by mail to: Brandywine Valley SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380.